We meet a multitude of people from all over the world, walking for a multitude of reasons. The stories are inspiring, heartbreaking, and validating . Yesterday we walked upon a memorial in the woods that confirmed the healing power of the Camino. It was a beautiful testament to love, loss, hope, memories, and growth! Bom Camino. May your journey bring peace.
We made it to Porto after a brief stop in Paris. We were met at the airport by Marco, a driver our hotel sent. We felt like royalty (with backpacks only😂) as he whisked us away to the Se Cathedral to gather our Camino passports. We are staying at a beautiful little boutique hotel “casa Antigua”. We spent the first evening exploring the city center, wandering the open market, and sharing a lovely dinner with. famous port wine! Off to a great start! Our Camino begins in the morning!
Six gold keys, including his Senior Portfolio, four silver, and one honorable mention with Scholastic Art and Writing at the Regional level! Congratulations! So proud of you for sticking with your writing even when there is so much on your plate. Way to go!
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Last night we ate at a restaurant of glass overlooking a spectacular view. The waiter was great at charades and very good natured. We met a delightful couple from Wales that were riding a Harley across Spain! They were obviously still sweethearts, extremely proud of family and country… She even sang Celtic songs for us… Beautiful!
The countryside today was cold, wet, and lovely. We arrived in lugo and went to st Mary’s cathedral where Bryce made a friend and we received a personal tour. The cathedral holds sacred a “lignum Crucis” a piece of wood belonging to the cross where Jesus was crucified. We were able to touch and say a prayer… It was very emotional for me to see Bryce stand and pray at the cross… Literally.. Another memory of a lifetime. We are now sitting in a cafe in the square discussing how this pilgrim’s existence kind of seeps into your soul and becomes a way of life. It will be very hard to give this up…
We left Oveido following a prayer at the cathedral and it was misting rain. We were all anxious about getting started.. So many uncertainties. We lady the city and within minutes found ourselves getting the hang of looking for the shells and arrows! We started to move into a fun flow of travel… Just moving forward and trusting that the next sign would be there when needed.
Here are a few of our favorite things from today..,
*the constant sound of cow bells in the distance
-calla Lillie’s the size of plates
-fields of wild flowers
-snails and slugs
– climbing!
– the bright yellows, reds, pinks, and blues of the farms and villages
-the magical forest
– the doe that came to greet us
-the rushing brooks and bridges
– and let’s not forget the ” monster pig” that Bryce named mr fluffy!
We only saw 2 pilgrims all day… It’s like we have a magical existence all to ourselves!
I apologize that we have not posted more… We are sitting in a cafe in Tineo having caffe leche about to head out… We have a long uphill hike today and short of a few blisters we are doing great! I promise to write details of each day soon. We have completed approx. 70 km or 45 miles in 3 days! It is unbelievably beautiful and we are loving sharing the adventure together!
Today was amazing… Mike got some work done again today with his project here this morning.. Has more meetings later: first phase finished! By afternoon we headed to a festival and then on for a truly unforgettable afternoon with family and friends in the mountains surrounding oviedo. The meal was traditional foods of bean soups, vegetable stew, homemade breads, goat( yes! And it was amazing!) beef, potatoes, rice pudding, various pastries, and local wines. The setting was surreal and the Spanish chatter and interpretations abundant! What an amazing send off for our journey! Thank you! We got back in the city in time to have our pilgrim credentials stamped at the cathedral so we start with a blessing in the morning and begin walking. First destination.., Grado… Approx 18 miles!
Wow! It has been an adventure all it’s own just getting to Spain. We were delayed due to weather in Dallas so held over a night, rescheduled to Madrid, and held over a second night. Good thing we are not on a tight schedule! The airline put us up in a great place so it couldn’t have worked out better. We are all settled into our apartment next to the market in the square and we have already visited a local bakery for fresh meat breads and desserts for dinner!
We are preparing to leave for a 250 mile hike on the El Camino on the primitive route!
Moulton Family Famalia La Famiglia Famille Ohana Pariwar 